


The Way Out Is Together

by Purplechimera



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Buff Remus, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 08:51:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18961936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purplechimera/pseuds/Purplechimera
Summary: Based on the prompt:We have been betrothed since we were children, but we have never met. The night before the betrothal ceremony, I sneak out of my house and get in a fight. Now you enter the ceremony and OH GOD YOUR EYE LOOKS TERRIBLE





	The Way Out Is Together

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you as always to @Jennandblitz for the never ending support and squealing.
> 
> Thank you @Gooseberrybrains for beta-ing this even though you thought it was for something else, and also for encouraging me to post it anyway.

_ Lord Orion Black catches rumors of overthrowing the king; he whispers with his wife and plays long-game chess with the lives of his subjects-and his children. _

 

_ ~~~ _

 

Sirius slammed the door of his chamber and threw himself dramatically on his bed. It was only a few seconds before the servant’s door creaked open.

 

“Can I help, Master Sirius?”

 

Sirius mumbled into the bedcovers. He heard his manservant’s footsteps, and when Peter spoke again, his voice was right above Sirius’ head.

 

“I’m sorry, sir?”

 

With an air of great suffering, Sirius turned his head and squinted up. “They are marrying me off, Peter.”

 

Peter frowned, his round face full of confusion. “I know, sir. You’ve been betrothed since you were three.”

 

“But my betrothed has a  _ name _ , now, and will be here tomorrow!” He suddenly leapt from the bed, pacing around. “I’ve got to get out of this. I will not be a pawn of my father’s anymore.”

 

“It’s a bit late to stop the ceremony, sir.” Peter’s hands smoothed the wrinkles from Sirius’ bedcovers, a tell-tale sign that whatever Sirius was planning would end up causing  _ Peter _ endless trouble.

 

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. “No, no. I don’t have that kind of time.” His gaze fell on his hunting cloak, still haphazardly tossed over the back of a chair. “I’m going to run away.”

 

“Sir-”

 

But Sirius was already changing out of his court clothes. Peter watched with exasperated admiration. Eventually, he cleared his throat.

 

“I’ll have your supper sent up to your rooms, sir.”

 

“Thank you, Peter.”

 

Peter did indeed have supper sent up-and a lot more, besides. Smiling, Sirius tucked the food into his satchel. 

 

~~~

 

_ Lord Lieutenant Lyall Lupin thinks of his wife and his baby boy, and he signs Greyback’s treaty. _

 

~~~

 

The town of Toujours Pur was, by far, the largest Remus had ever visited in his seventeen years. He’d grown up on the outskirts of a village where livestock outnumbered people nearly three to one, and the woods behind his house held more trees in a morning’s walk than buildings he’d seen in his lifetime. Still, He was  _ determined _ to not mess up this allegiance-after all, it may be the only way to escape Lord Greyback’s constant eye. 

 

_ Greyback _ . Remus kicked a pebble, and it skittered across the cobblestone path. That snake had been slithering into the politics of every county since before Remus was born. He’d brokered deals and allegiances and sowed seeds of doubt about the King and anyone who supported him. Remus’ father was the Lord Lieutenant of the smallest county in the kingdom, and had, very reluctantly, offered allegiance to Lord Greyback fifteen years ago.

 

“Sir?”

 

It took several heartbeats for Remus to remember that he had servants, now. He turned to see Gideon shifting from foot to foot.

 

“Sir, your supper is getting cold.”

 

Remus sighed and followed Gideon back to the inn. It was no use arguing that Remus was used to cold meals out in the wilderness; ever since Greyback had named Remus heir, Gideon was there to fuss that Remus didn’t eat proper meals or sleep enough nights in a proper bed. It had only been three months, but Remus was already tired of arguing. Gideon was even worse than his own mother.

 

Their party had been given a private suite at the inn, and Remus had put his foot down, that they would eat together or not at all. Gideon had sputtered and protested, but finally,  _ finally _ , given up. So Remus and his rather large band of assistants sat down to a delightful meal (Remus refused to think of them as servants. Most of them he’d grown up with).

 

Later that night, Remus tossed and turned. Greyback had told him the position of heir would come with a betrothal, but refused to say anything else about it until Remus had been sworn in. The Black family seemed suspiciously capable of remaining neutral in the growing conflicts surrounding the throne. Still, with his father aligned with Greyback, Remus had precious few options for escape. 

 

Unable to lay still any longer, Remus crept out of the inn and wandered the streets, reveling in the deep silence that only came with the darkest hours. It wasn’t all that different from being in the woods at night; mice scurried underfoot, and the moonlight pressed through the buildings just as sharply as the branches back home.

 

A small clattering of stones alerted Remus to a presence, not far from the Black estate. Remus immediately flattened against the building and slowed his breathing, then peered around the corner. Crouched in the back of the alley was a person wearing a dark cloak and carrying a rather large bag. A thief, perhaps?

 

Remus watched as they peered about, shoving something down into their bag.  _ Definitely a thief _ , Remus thought.  _ This might be my chance to prove myself to the Blacks _ . As the person straightened and strode past, Remus grabbed their arm. He was immediately rewarded with a punch to the face. This surprised him-there were not any people back home who could get such a good shot on him in a fight. A quick twist wrenched the arm from Remus’ fingers, and the thief took off.

 

Still, Remus’ hunting prowess hadn’t caught Greyback’s eye for no reason, and he quickly had the thief pinned to the side of a tavern.

 

“ _ Let go of me! _ ” The voice, though tight with anger, was deep. Remus pulled the hood of the cloak back with one hand, revealing a long, black braid. He wondered if the long hair was meant to be a diversionary tactic.

 

“I will do no such thing.” Remus easily pulled the man up by his arms, “I do not tolerate thieves.”  _ Even ones significantly taller than me, _ he added silently.

 

The man wrenched in an attempt to turn around. “I am not a thief!” He hissed, and Remus caught a flash of pale skin and high cheekbones.

 

“Indeed not, just a regular person sneaking around in the middle of the night, stuffing things into great bags more suited to adventures than city living.” 

 

A foot hooked around Remus’ shin, and they toppled to the ground. Remus quickly pinned him against the cobblestones and they stared at each other, chests heaving.

 

“Well,” smirked the man, and Remus couldn’t tell if his heart was pounding from the tussle or something else, “I certainly did not expect to be thwarted by someone with eyes like the underbrush.”

 

Remus tightened his grip on the man’s arms, and his eyes narrowed. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

 

“On the contrary, my curly-haired meddler. In my world, flattery gets you everywhere.” He batted his eyelashes, and Remus had to shake his head to clear it. 

 

_ It doesn’t matter that he has eyes as silver as the moon _ , Remus told himself.  _ I need to make a good impression here, if this is to be my new home. _ “We come from very different worlds, then, flatterer.” And, taking the other man completely by surprise, Remus hauled them both to their feet and frog-marched the thief to the door of the tavern-the only place still open at this hour-and knocked sharply on the door.

 

“ _ Please _ ,” the man hissed, and his voice sounded much more fearful now. Something tickled the back of Remus’ mind, that maybe he should pause and listen, but then the tavern door was swinging open, and a very large woman with fiery red hair was grabbing the thief’s other arm and loosening Remus’ fingers.

 

“I’ll take ‘im from here, there’s a good laddie,” she quickly pulled the other man inside. “Thank ye fer returnin’ ‘im.” And she shut the door in Remus’ face.

 

He stood there for nearly a full minute before returning straight to the inn and silently slipping into bed. His face ached, and he couldn’t tell if his headache was from the punch or the entire situation. The moon illuminated his pillow, and he pulled it over his face.  _ Tomorrow _ , he told himself.  _ Tomorrow is the betrothal to the Black heir, and I’ll have bigger things to think about than that thief. _ But every time he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with sharp cheekbones and confident smirks.

 

~~~

 

_ In the secret, second study of Lord Orion Black, Fenrir Greyback negotiates away an heir he doesn’t have to secure safe passage for his men through Black lands. _

 

_ ~~~ _

 

Sirius checked the the door for the eighth time in as many hours-still locked. He didn’t even throw anything this time; just growled and collapsed on the window seat. Peter sighed and shifted in his chair.

 

“Shall we get you dressed then, Master Black?”

 

“I  _ cannot _ believe that country bumpkin handed me right over to Molly.” Sirius could see the extra security pacing the garden, extra insurance that he would not escape this. “Still, there are worse people I could have been turned over to.”

 

“So you’ve said, sir. Several times now.” Peter strode over to the bed and picked up the suit laid across the end. “Shall we…?”

 

“I’m not wearing... _ that _ ,” he gestured vaguely to the outfit picked out by his mother. 

 

“Sir, Lady Walburga-”

 

“Lady Walburga has less taste in clothes than she does in husbands.” Sirius rose and stalked to his armoire, pulling out pieces until he’d assembled what he wanted. 

 

“Please refrain from speaking of your mother that way,” Peter sighed, with an air of stale repetition.

 

“She can’t fire me from being her son, Peter. And I look ridiculous in green.” He changed his clothes and adjusted himself in the mirror. “There.” He admired his red and black suit. “Much better.” He stretched, his muscles aching from his late-night tussle. 

 

There was a knock at the door, then the click of the lock. “They’re ready for you, sir.”

 

Sirius groaned at the sight of six men waiting to escort him to his betrothal. “Really, this is getting out of hand.” But he allowed himself to be escorted from his chambers to his doom.

 

“Walburga’s really outdone herself, this time,” Sirius muttered to Peter as they arrived in the grand ballroom. Two dozen doves cooed from the rafters, and servants bustled about, fixing table settings and filling pitchers of water and wine. “I didn’t realize the ceremony was so...public.”

 

“Of course it isn’t public, darling.” Walburga strode in from across the room, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Sirius. “This is for the after party.” She picked an invisible piece of lint off her son’s lapel. “I thought you were wearing green.”

 

Before Sirius could respond, someone banged on the main doors of the ballroom. “Lady Walburga, they’re here.”

 

“Too late, Mother,” Sirius sneered as he was ushered into the private chapel. He couldn’t hide the glee in the face of Walburga’s outrage. 

 

His father was already standing near the altar, looking for all the world like a statue. Sirius took his place as the side door opened, and the voice that entered caused Sirius’ blood to run cold.

 

“I meant no disrespect, Ma’am, but I am a soldier. I’m not used to such lavish accommodations as you have in this fine city.”

 

It was the man from last night-the one who had caught Sirius sneaking out. Perhaps he was a guard of Sirius’ betrothed, which is why Sirius hadn’t been recognized?

 

“Oh, Remus, you are too kind,” Walburga gave her high-pitched laugh, but then her voice turned sharp. “Sirius, come here.”

 

The entire ceremony was a blur. Sirius knew what to expect, he knew what he was supposed to say, and presumably he said them because no one got upset at him. But all he could really do was stare at Remus, at his betrothed, all browns and greens, soft and warm except for a harsh bruise coloring his right eye.  _ I did that _ , Sirius thought, over and over.  _ I punched the man I have to marry. _

 

~~~

 

_ “Accept,” Hope whispered to her son, staring at the request from Greyback, “It may be your only way out of here.” _

 

_ ~~~ _

 

By the time Remus and Sirius were escorted into a side chamber for their requisite hour of solitude, Remus was sure he’d cracked a rib from trying not to laugh. The moment the door clicked shut, it all came spilling out, and it was several minutes before he had calmed down enough to speak.

 

“So we meet again, thief-in-the night.” He pressed his fingers to his mouth, as though trying to contain his laughter.

 

Several emotions passed over Sirius’ face, and then he blurted out, “ _ I am so sorry about your face _ .”

 

Remus started laughing again. After several minutes, in which Sirius grew increasingly agitated, Remus finally calmed himself. “I had always been told that city folk were different from us, but I didn’t realize that the Heir would spend so much time sneaking around his own city...or be so bad at it as to be caught by a newcomer.”

 

Sirius’ eyes narrowed. “You don’t know anything about my life,” he spat, crossing his arms and glaring out the window.

 

“I think that is well established,  _ My Lord _ .” Remus poured himself a glass of water; then, after a moment’s hesitation, he poured a second glass for Sirius. The pitcher clinked loudly as he set it down. Sirius was still glowering out the window, and it occurred to Remus that perhaps the other man did not find the situation as amusing as Remus. Perhaps there had been a  _ reason _ he’d been sneaking about in the middle of the night.

 

Remus cleared his throat. “Sirius...were you trying to escape this betrothal?”

 

The other man’s broad shoulders stiffened, but he must have detected the sincerity in Remus’ voice because, after a moment, his posture crumpled. “My entire life has been controlled by my parents; every playmate, every governess, even...even you.”

 

“I hate to bring sunlight to your rain parade, but that’s not strictly true.” Remus’ fingers traced patterns in the condensation of his glass. “Your parents arranged a betrothal with Greyback’s heir.”

 

Sirius’ startled gaze flickered over to Remus. “Are you not Greyback’s heir?”

 

“I am. But Greyback is not my father.” He looked up, and their eyes locked. “Your parents did not arrange a betrothal to  _ me. _ Though...if you are the sort of person who would attempt to run away from your parents’ expectations, I think that this arrangement may prove more beneficial to us than them.”

 

Several heartbeats passed; Sirius’ face broke into a grin. He rose, cat-like, from the window seat and stalked to Remus. “I think you're right,” he murmured. Remus couldn’t suppress a shiver. 


End file.
